Greece battles deadly wildfires

Greek authorities spent August 5 trying to contain multiple wildfire fronts as high temperatures, drought and strong winds kept pressure on crews already stretched by days of fires near Athens and elsewhere. The latest firefighting push came after a week in which blazes forced evacuations by land and sea, damaged homes and farmland, and left emergency services working across several regions. Greek officials have tied the strain on operations to a broader heat wave affecting southern Europe. Civil Protection officials kept parts of the country on elevated fire alert for August 6 as the risk persisted. ### How broad was the firefighting response by August 5? Greece’s national fire and rescue service had recorded around 220 agro-forest fires since July 27, according to reporting published on August 3, offering a measure of how quickly incidents had accumulated before the August 5 operations. Chief fire officer Vasilios Vathrakoyannis described the period as “perhaps the most difficult days of the summer,” citing strong winds and dangerous conditions for crews. (ekathimerini.com) More than 73 wildfires broke out across Greece from the morning of July 31 into the following day, authorities said in Reuters reporting carried by eKathimerini. That reporting said hot, dry and windy conditions accelerated the spread of flames and forced fire crews to divide resources across several fronts. ### Which areas were hit around Athens and central Greece? (time.com) Porto Germeno, about 60 kilometers west of Athens, was one of the focal points of the response, with firefighting aircraft resuming water drops at first light after overnight flames threatened the coastal resort. Reuters reported that emergency alerts sent through Greece’s 112 system ordered evacuations from Porto Germeno, Psatha and nearby areas before dawn, and 12 people were evacuated by boat during the early hours of August 1. (ekathimerini.com) Mount Poikilo, on the western outskirts of Athens, was also hit by a fast-moving fire that reached the edges of Haidari and the perimeter of the Daphni Psychiatric Hospital, according to the same Reuters report. Seventeen patients were evacuated from the hospital as a precaution, though the facility was not reached by the flames. (ekathimerini.com) Xironomi, Agios Vasileios, Agios Nikolaos and Alyki in Viotia were among the communities ordered to evacuate on July 31 as another out-of-control wildfire burned in central Greece. InTime News, as carried by eKathimerini, said strong ground units and aircraft were deployed there as gale-force winds complicated containment. (ekathimerini.com) ### Why were officials saying crews were under strain? Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the “burden of the battle” had fallen largely on frontline responders because weather conditions limited the use of aircraft. He said that when winds blew with enough force, aerial resources could not always operate safely, and in some cases turbulence prevented both water pickups and drops. (ekathimerini.com) The August 6 fire-risk map published by Greece’s Civil Protection Ministry showed Attica and parts of Evia under “very high” fire risk, indicating that authorities expected dangerous conditions to continue even after the most intense firefighting on August 5. The ministry’s website also continued to highlight the 112 emergency communications service and wildfire guidance. ### What made this stretch of fires deadlier than a routine summer outbreak? (time.com) A helicopter collision on August 2 added to the toll from the emergency response itself. Time, citing Greek authorities, reported that two crew members — a Greek coordinator and a Danish pilot — were killed when two firefighting helicopters collided during operations near Psatha in Attica, while two others survived. (civilprotection.gov.gr) Rethymno in Crete had already suffered a deadly wildfire before the August 5 firefighting push, with local reporting saying investigators were examining the cause of the blaze. InTime News said homes, businesses, farmland and crops were damaged or destroyed there as repeated flare-ups continued. ### What happens next for residents and travelers? (time.com) August 6 is the next concrete checkpoint because Greece’s Civil Protection Ministry has already published that day’s fire-risk map and kept Attica and parts of Evia on very high alert. Residents and visitors can track official updates through the ministry’s fire-risk map and the 112 emergency alert system as firefighting forces remain deployed in affected regions. (civilprotection.gov.gr) (ekathimerini.com)